Statement by Rafael Benitez, Director of Social Rights, Health and Environment, on behalf of the Council of Europe
Excellencies,
Ladies and gentlemen,
International cooperation needs results. For nearly eight decades, the Council of Europe has developed legal instruments to facilitate cooperation in criminal matters. Their value lies in their practical impact.
Rooted in Europe, the Council of Europe also plays a global role in shaping criminal law standards. We remain committed to multilateralism and to working closely with the United Nations to combat transnational organised crime.
Many of our 230 treaties provide tools to meet this challenge. Together, they strengthen cooperation, close safe havens for criminals and enhance security of our societies. They address extradition, mutual legal assistance, the transfer of sentenced persons, cybercrime, trafficking in human beings, corruption, money laundering and terrorist financing, environmental crimes, counterfeit medical products and many other serious crimes.
Organised crime threatens public safety, weakens institutions and undermines the rule of law, human rights and democratic security. New technologies and forms of finance, including crypto-assets, amplify these threats.
Yet crime prevention cannot be separated from the conditions in which crime develops. Inequality, exclusion and corruption create opportunities that criminal networks exploit. Effective prevention requires evidence, early identification of risks and stronger communities and institutions.
Our conventions are instruments of prevention and prosecution. They close legal gaps, facilitate cross-border cooperation, protect victims and support implementation, while adapting to evolving threats.
Environmental crime is a clear example. Our newest treaty, the Convention on the Protection of the Environment through Criminal Law, opened for signature in December 2025, goes beyond punishment, promoting prevention, awareness-raising, multidisciplinary cooperation and protection for victims and whistleblowers.
Open to States from all regions, our binding instruments help build a global legal space, complementing UNTOC and reinforcing human rights.
We invite UN Member States to consider acceding to the Council of Europe Conventions most relevant to their needs, joining the cooperation they enable.
Our commitment is clear: to prevent and combat transnational organised crime through the rule of law, the protection of human rights ant the effective international cooperation.